covering pot holes

I enjoyed your message - amusement for a muggy day.
If I'm using the usual sort of peat-based mix, I don't cover the
holes unless they are enormous. A sandier mix will come out of the
holes - ALL of it will flow out if I haven't wet it before putting it
in. I use a single sheet of newspaper - just rip a piece big enough
to overlap the hole a bit. This is really easy if the hole is in the
centre of the pot, and more fiddly if they are over at the edge. By
the time the roots have got down to the paper, it has most likely
disintegrated, and by then, the roots are holding the compost in the
pot.
Diane Whitehead